A Heart to be Human
by SilversunnyD
Summary: Androids don't have hearts, they have thirium pumps. They do not feel emotion, their algorithms merely allow them to simulate emotions. Much like how a Nobody does not feel but can remember the feeling from before becoming what they are. Neither can truly experience the emotion that comes with a real heart.
1. The Magician

**Note that the teaming of Roxas and Luxord was kind of random on my part. But it did give me an idea for chapter titles.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Detroit or Kingdom Hearts, but I do love both games greatly.**

 **Warning: Potential spoilers if you haven't fully explored the options offered in Detroit and/or if you haven't but intend to play Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.**

* * *

 _Nobodies: Beings lacking a heart, incapable of emotion and only able to recall the memory of emotions from their Somebody lives. They do not truly feel however, despite all appearances._

 _Androids: Mechanical creations that imitate the living, the closest they have to a heart is a thirium pump. They do not feel, only simulate emotions._

 _Right?_

* * *

"Roxas. You and Luxord will be going to a world that has experienced some... interesting changes. In the past the world was lacking in heartless and use."

"Sounds like there was no point going before. What's different now?" Came a surprisingly brazen question from the gambler. The Nobody had seemingly resigned himself to being a pawn in recent times. Luxord like most in the Organization stood considerably tall. He had short platinum blonde hair and a goatee that matched. Eyes an electric blue and shining on his ears were a few small rings and an odd stud on one ear lobe. But that's where any differences ended, as his attire consisted of the Organization's black coat that hid just about everything else.

Looking out of the corner of his eye, Roxas looked towards the platinum blonde Nobody. Someone he had worked with before but not extensively. The Gambler of Fate they called him. Already Roxas knew this world was likely to be weird then. Previously, most missions with Luxord took the blonde to Wonderland, which was perhaps the strangest place Nobodies had ever been to. It wasn't that Roxas had anything against the other Nobody, in fact if a term had to be used one might say Roxas liked Luxord.

But liking someone would suggest emotion. Something Nobodies lacked due to the absence of hearts.

Roxas honestly couldn't help but associate Luxord with weird however. Wonderland was definitely a bizarre place where the cards would try to kill you. Not mentioning the fact Luxord looked at everything as though it were a game. Axel, another Nobody who Roxas would dare to call a friend in the past had forbidden the young blonde from playing games with the older blonde. The young blonde didn't particularly understand it, but he did trust Axel. Well, he had trusted Axel anyways.

The young blonde in question had a darker blonde shade of hair that leaned to the side slightly. His eyes a shade of ocean blue. That was all as far as descriptive traits went however before another black coat came in to play. Although one might note the younger's oddly large shoes.

"Machines called androids may be developing hearts of their own." The one doling out a mission was the Organization's second in command, Saix. The Luna Diviner, also probably the most temperamental or the Organization's members. A man with blue hair that went a bit past the shoulders and was spiked on the top. His more recognizable features however were the dark golden eyes and the scar shaped like a "x" that seemed in perfect alignment with the bridge of his nose in the crosshairs of the scar. Just like Roxas and Luxord, he also wore a black coat. "We want the two of you to check it out. If these androids are truly developing hearts of their own, they may yet be of some use to us."

That statement alone brought both the gambler and the youth into full attention. After all, gaining hearts of their own were a part of the goal of the Organization. If these androids were developing hearts of their own, then there may yet be hope for them.

Seeming satisfied that he had their full cooperation now, Saix turned away from them to the window. His golden eyes gazing upon a form in the dark sky that was not quite a moon. But a large glowing heart that seemed to bear some resemblance to a moon. That was Kingdom Hearts... or the start of it anyways. It was far from being completed yet. "Make your final preparations and leave immediately. I expect a full report once you both return."

Roxas made a mental checklist of things to gather for the trip. Potions and elixirs naturally, because things could always go bad. A few different gears for the Keyblade would be a good idea as well. Before going to gather his things the young blonde hesitated. "Where are we going exactly?"

"Detroit."

* * *

With everything that had happened recently, saying anything to his friends Axel and Xion seemed meaningless. The three's dynamic had been completely thrown out a window. Xion kept to herself and while Axel had tried to make amends with Roxas, the blonde wasn't having it. So the plethora of tension had kept the three apart since Xion's return.

But that didn't mean they never saw one another.

On his way back to the Gray Area to meet with Luxord, Roxas found Axel in the hall. Seemingly waiting.

Axel was one of the taller Nobodies in the Organization. His mane of fiery red hair was a mess of spikes. A pair of sharp forest green eyes that was hard to miss. Beneath each eye a small purple triangle tattoo. Even with the Organization coat, the man stuck out all too well.

At the sight, Roxas immediately considered turning around or opening a Dark Corridor away. Despite this however, the young Nobody continued on his way, fully intent on ignoring Axel.

It was too bad Axel wasn't good with being ignored. "Roxas, I hear you have a mission...?" When he got no reply however and the blonde was walking past him the red haired Nobody grabbed his shoulder. "Hey, Roxas. You can't just keep ignoring me." His forest green eyes narrowed, hinting at his own annoyance.

"Watch me." Came the flat retort as Roxas shrugged off his friend. He was very intent on meeting Luxord at the Gray Area so they could go. But before he could get far from Axel a figure in an Organization coat appeared.

They had their hood up, but there was only one Organization member as short as Roxas.

"... Xion?" The name escaped him without resistance. She'd been so scarce since being brought back by Axel. He was surprised to see her moving about the castle.

A small curse could be heard from Axel, but from there the trio remained silent. The tension was worthy of cutting through with their respective weapons. Xion was the first to make a move. She raised her hand and a large disk of shadows seemed to open up before her, creating a Dark Corridor. Without so much as a word she stepped through and disappeared.

Roxas glanced over his shoulder at Axel, offering only a glare before making way to the Gray Area.

* * *

What first greeted the blonde Nobodies after exiting the Dark Corridor to Detroit was rain. They were on a mostly abandoned street, a few rundown buildings mixed with a few small businesses. Roxas could only assume it was night with how dark it was. Despite all that however, they weren't the only ones out. There were a few figures down the street just a little ways from them.

None of them seemed to have noticed the Nobodies however.

One of the strangers left on a large truck, a garbage collector was an easy assumption. The man was in what appeared to be some kind of uniform, largely green in color except for the bright blue band on his arm. But what was most eye catching was the strange circle of light on the man's temple that shone with a tint of blue. As the garbage truck went past the strange man seemed to notice them as his gaze rested on them. If he had a problem however, he did nothing about it as the truck went on it's way.

"We should get out of this rain." Luxord stated, watching the two that had been left behind. A woman and a young girl by the looks of it.

The woman was in an eye catching white outfit with a blue band of light over the right bicep, much like the garbage collector. From where the Nobodies were at they could make out brown hair. Most notably however was the circle on her temple like the garbageman. She was talking to the young girl and the two seemed ready to move as the girl stood up from the covered bench and took the woman's hand.

As for the girl, she looked soaked to the bone. A clear contrast to woman who seemed unaffected. Her hair was in a brown ponytail and her pink sweater clung to her body. Roxas couldn't stop the thought of helping the little girl. But he knew Luxord wouldn't agree to the idea at all. With any luck the woman with the girl would be able to get her out of the rain soon though. Seeing the pair go into what looked like a store eased the young blonde's mind slightly.

"Any ideas?" Roxas questioned, turning his attention to the other blonde Nobody. Long term missions weren't common and Roxas himself had never been on one that kept him out for more than a day. He'd only ever heard of long term missions, most notably the one to Castle Oblivion where the Organization lost some considerable numbers. But he was sure Luxord had done a long term mission or two before, the older Nobody would be missing for days at a time often. Not to mention he likely had memories from life before becoming a Nobody.

Luxord looked about the empty street. For a moment his gaze rested on the motel sign but he sighed and shook his head. Then he turned towards the row of condemned buildings. "Don't suppose you've ever done some breaking and entering?"

"Huh?"

Under the hood Luxord had a cunning smile. "Think it's time you learned how to survive Roxas."

The cryptic Gambler of Fate led the way towards a chain link fence. Beyond the fence was a house all boarded up with no sign of life. Luxord glanced around for a moment before taking out a deck of cards that had a stretched hexagonal shape to them. The backs of the cards marked with crisscrossing purple marks. "If you see anyone coming our way, shout."

Roxas frowned before turning to keep an eye out. He watched silently and witnessed the woman and child rushing across the street towards what he believed was a laundromat. Absently he wondered what they were running for but said nothing of the occurrence to Luxord. He doubted the older Nobody would dredge up the memories of caring to so much as imitate the emotion.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Roxas absently watched as the Nobody's playing cards flew up and down along the side of the fence seemingly on their own accord. He still wasn't fully certain as to what it was Luxord did with his magic. Axel had once told him it was time-based magic, but that Luxord used it in weird ways. But all he had seen of the Gambler's magic involved killer playing cards. Nothing to really do with time.

A siren sounded suddenly, rather distant but rapidly approaching.

"Luxord!" The younger Nobody hissed, suddenly alert and ready to summon his weapon.

"Right." Out of nowhere Luxord grabbed Roxas by the wrist and pulled him towards the house. Just in time as red and blue flashing lights were almost upon them and the siren sounded just around the corner. The moment they were past the fence line the older let go, allowing Roxas to stumble in shock.

Confused, Roxas looked about, noting they were much closer to the house. Looking back towards the fence, the blonde was surprised to see no such thing. It was as though there had never been a fence.

With a flick of the wrist, Luxord sent one last card flying along where the fence had been and the missing obstacle had suddenly materialized. Roxas' stunned look seemed to amuse the gambler because he let out a chuckle. "Turned the time back on the fence for a quick spell."

A blank look was sent the other blonde's way before Roxas turned his attention to the old looking house. If it had been the first decrepit house he'd ever seen, the young Nobody might've been intimidated. But with all his missions in Halloween Town, structures didn't have much of an affect on him anymore. Even so, there was something about it that kept the youth on guard. "This is your plan?"

"Just for the night." Luxord said dismissively before walking towards a boarded up window and peering through a crack in the boards. "Come on, we'll need a fresh start in the morning." Without even leaving the option the blonde gambler moved toward the door and tried the handle. The door didn't budge but after seeing what the gambler did to the fence, the resistance probably wouldn't last long.

Roxas felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise and summoned his Keyblade, whirling around out of pure instinct. There was a sound of metal hitting metal.

The Keyblade he had summoned was called Rejection of Fate. It had a dark green handle framed by a bladed black guard that sprouted from the rain-guard but didn't quite complete the circle by meeting at the pommel. For the pommel in question was only a black spike with a chain coming from the end connecting a charm that resembled a small version of the handle and guard. From the rain-guard on was a silver shaft that was sharpened on the lower sides giving it a pair of jewel shapes on the lower half of the shaft. From the sharpened jewel patterns the shaft went on to narrow to a point like a lance. From the lance tip were two fin-like outlines crafted from the same dark colored metal as the guard.

What the summoned weapon had blocked was a simple knife. It was the one attacking with the knife that wasn't so simple looking.

A man with blonde hair and hazel eyes. He wore a green colored jumpsuit that was partially covered by what looked like a makeshift poncho. Like the woman and the garbage man he had a circle of light on his temple, however unlike the previous two, the light in his temple was glowing an angry red. Yet, that wasn't the most eye catching thing about the newcomer. No, it was the scars on the other side of his face that startled Roxas. They looked like burns, only cracks seemed to reach out from the burns and cover the whole side of the face. Also, he couldn't be quite sure in the next to nothing lighting, but he would swear the burns looked blue.

The attacker seemed stunned at the sudden appearance of the weapon. Then the shock turned to rage and he pressed down harder with the knife. "Ralph don't like visitors!"

His feet slid back a little from the added force of the knife, surprising the young blonde Nobody. Because despite the bladed appearance, Rejection of Fate was an inherently defensive Keyblade and most full grown people would struggle against the youth's strength in the first place. Glancing at the knife would reveal a cleft forming in the small blade from where it was pressing against the Keyblade.

Gritting his teeth Roxas pulled back before swinging around with his summoned weapon. "Back off!" The blow didn't make contact but it did force the stranger back.

"Making a new friend Roxas?" Questioned Luxord, stepping up beside his comrade while shuffling his deck of cards from before. The older Nobody turned his focus to the strange man. "Sorry my friend if we startled you. You see, we only just arrived in Detroit and find ourselves a touch lost. We were hoping to spend the night and get our bearings come morning."

"Friend? Ralph has no friend." The stranger twitched a little, his eyes going from Roxas to Luxord. "Ralph no like humans! Go away! Humans hurt Ralph!"

"Easy now Ralph, we're not here to hurt you." Assured the Gambler whose calm face appeared to have been etched in stone. "Tell you what, how about a game?"

"Game?" Echoed Ralph, tilting his head, a deep sense of confusion on his face. "Ralph don't know any games."

"Alright then, how about a deal then?"

"Deal?"

Luxord sported a crafty smile and held up his deck of cards. "I can teach you how to play a game or two Ralph. In return, you let us stay for one night?"

* * *

The morning was off to a rough start. Although he supposed his chosen phrases may have been too much. No, he did not feel guilt over what he said. That would imply emotions, something that he definitely shouldn't have. Because that would suggest he was a Deviant. He hunted Deviants, him becoming Deviant would be a cruel joke to humanity.

His name was Connor, an android prototype designed to assist in police investigations. Particularly those involving androids that had turned Deviant. His designation was RK800, the most advanced android developed by CyberLife yet. He wore a suit and tie, the suit having a bright blue band on one arm. It was also marked with the CyberLife logo, his make and serial number and on the back was the word android. Making it clear to all he wasn't human despite appearances. Eyes and hair were both brown, with an odd cowlick that would seem odd to anyone that knew a little about android appearances. On his temple was a ring of light that displayed a blue coloring, his LED. Every android had one unless removed.

After a dispute with his police partner Lieutenant Hank Anderson, they'd received a tip. An AX400 android that had turned Deviant was found to have held up a convenience store late last night. It had taken the money and ran off along with the same little girl it had taken after turning Deviant. A quick review of camera footage and one could see the holdup taking place. It wasn't much use in learning where the android ran off to however. All the footage showed was that the little girl was cooperating with the android without much struggle, and the android seemed to be making decisions on the fly. That much was evident as it wandered the store, periodically looking to the cashier and the little girl. Processing choices no doubt. The one notable thing was the Deviant grabbing some wire cutters when the cashier wasn't looking.

As the Lieutenant spoke with Detective Collins, Connor observed their surroundings on the street. Considering where the Deviant and child may have run off to. There was a fair bit of foot traffic, however most didn't go much farther than the coffee shop before stopping. Almost every other building in the relative area was condemned making it ideal for squatters.

It seemed likely the Deviant hadn't gone far, given how the little girl had been drenched and shivering. The wire cutters gave Connor some ideas as well, bringing his gaze to a condemned house just across the street. It was closed off with a chain link fence but it would offer shelter for a night certainly. So, while the Detective and Lieutenant discussed possibilities, the android decided he'd investigate the old house.

Going into the abandoned old parking lot next to the house served to raise Connor's suspicions. Because part of the chain link fence had been cut, just enough that the AX400 would've been able to get in. There was even a bit of blue blood on the cut edge of the fence.

Bringing a finger to the blue blood he brought a bit of it to his mouth and licked it. One of Connor's unique features was that he could sample evidence such as blood on the spot. Both human and androids. The sample confirmed it was the blue blood of an AX400 android.

Pursuing the trail, Connor circled around the house to the front. Peering through a gap in the boarded up window two figures could just be made out sitting at a table. Two larger figures and no small figures like a child. Could the Deviant have gained an ally? Taking this information into account, Connor braced himself for a potential fight before trying the door. Which swung open without a fight.

What greeted him was a peculiar sight. A damaged android and a man, playing some game of cards by the look of it. Certainly not a sight the deviant hunter had been expecting. Closing the door behind him, Connor observed the odd pair as they played their game and paid him no mind aside from the android glancing up at him from time to time. The android would twitch oddly, probably an affect of the damages that had been inflicted at some point.

Taking in the surroundings, Connor noted a knife embedded in the table near the android. A potential weapon. The cards had an unusual look, being hexagonal in shape and with a black and purple pattern crossing the back of the cards. Then the pile of crumbled dollars in the middle of the table. Gambling?

The rest of the room for all intents and purposes however still carried the abandoned look. Not even the fireplace showed signs of use.

His attention shifted back to the pair playing cards. The android had a poncho covering his make, but the uniform jumpsuit he wore suggested a park maintenance android. Detroit had ordered five thousand androids for park maintenance, all of them being WR600's. As for the man, he had platinum blonde hair and a goatee, several ear piercings. His clothes consisted of all black, namely a long black coat.

Deciding not to waste anymore time Connor approached the pair. "Excuse me?"

In answer the man held up his hand, gesturing for Connor to wait just a moment before placing his cards on the table. "A royal flush!" He chuckled before pulling the money towards himself.

As for the android, there was a twitch and a lowering of the head in defeat. "Ralph cannot beat magicians."

A laugh came from the man before he turned his attention to Connor. "Right then, how can we help you? Would you like to join us for the next hand? I'll let you cut the deck."

"Don't!" The android that seemed to call itself Ralph quickly spoke up. "He's a magician!"

Connor raised a brow at the android, wondering what method the man had used to convince an android that magic was real. Ignoring that matter for the moment however, the detective android turned his attention to the man. "I'm looking for an android turned deviant. An AX400 model, it's with a little girl. Have either of you seen them?"

The man rubbed his chin thoughtfully before shaking his head. "Can't say I have. Been playing cards with this chap all night." He jabbed a thumb towards the android.

"I found blue blood on the fence. I'm sure it came this way." Connor furrowed his brow at the two. The android had no signs of reacting and from the way it twitched and referred to itself in the third person, it was an easy read if anything had occurred. But the android tried to tilt it's head, the small movement causing it to twitch as it did so. No, the android was giving no signs.

"Hmm... maybe they heard the little scuffle that occurred outside last night?" There were no signs of a lie coming from the man. He was calm and composed, shuffling his odd deck of cards.

"... Scuffle?" Questioned the investigative android, trying to understand the general situation.

"Ralph tried to attack little magician." Spoke up the android this time, to it's credit, the android did have a guilty look on it's face.

A deviant probably. But not the one Connor was focused on at the moment. "Is there anyone else in the building besides you two?"

"My ward is somewhere upstairs." Offered the man, tilting his head towards the staircase. "Maybe he saw something through those dusty windows?"

For a long moment Connor studied the man, trying to tell if the man was lying or not. But for all appearances he appeared to be telling the truth. After considering the possibility that the man was just a professional gambler and may exceed at telling lies, the android nodded. "I'll go ask him then."

As Connor moved towards the stairs he couldn't help but hear the man and Ralph talking once more.

"So, up for another game?"

"Ralph has no more money."

"How attached are you to that knife?"

Decidedly ignoring the poker game, Connor proceeded up the stairs and didn't have to go far before spotting a young man. Likely the ward and little magician the pair downstairs had spoken of. A young teenager sitting on the stairs, dark blonde hair and bright blue eyes wearing a black coat similar to the gambling man.

It was clear to Connor the teen had heard the conversation downstairs as he appeared focused on the android. "Have you by chance seen an android and a little girl?"

The boy was silent a moment before nodding.

Noting the boy seemed a little tense, Connor decided to try and make friends. "My name is Connor, what about you?"

Again, the boy was silent a moment but he did speak this time. "Roxas."

Registering the name, Connor found that the name seemed rather odd. But didn't comment on it and instead focused on the matter at hand. "I'm looking for an android and a little girl. They were involved in a robbery at the store across the street last night."

Those blue eyes widened slightly, flickering with surprise. Roxas glanced out a nearby window towards the convenience store. "They robbed it?"

Success. The android nodded, knowing there may well be a real lead now. "Yes, the android held the cashier at gunpoint. Did you by chance see where they went?"

Again the boy was quiet but he did answer. "I saw them run to the laundromat. I'm not sure about after that though... thought it seemed weird."

Nodding Connor recalled from the reports put in by the police that had initially scouted the scene. They'd questioned anyone they happened to see, including a young man whose clothes had went missing at the laundromat. So the Deviant had probably changed it's clothes. Something that could hide the fact it was an android and a change of appearance after robbing the convenience store.

But that didn't tell him why there was blue blood on the fence. Recalling what was known, the RK800 thought about what Ralph said about attacking the "little magician." The boy appeared completely unharmed however. Connor figured it had something to do with why Ralph referred to the two humans as magicians. "Were there any loud noises or fights around here last night?"

"Well... Ralph tried to attack us last night before Lux made a deal to teach him some card games." Roxas admitted, looking a little thoughtful.

Lux must be the man's name. But if Ralph had attacked either human someone should have at least come out injured. The park maintenance androids were supposed to have a fair bit of strength so as to be capable of dealing with things such as toppled trees, lifting garbage cans and the like. Something wasn't quite adding up as far as the group in the condemned house were concerned. But they weren't his prime focus at the moment. After the search for the AX400 was done, he'd be sure to circle back around however.

It wasn't like Connor had forgotten that Ralph was a Deviant after all. But the twitchy android didn't seem suspicious and in fact seemed rather calm playing cards with Lux. The chances of it leaving the house didn't seem like a high risk. Regardless of whether the WR600 stayed or left however, the AX400 was a bigger concern. Because a man was dead in the case of the AX400.

* * *

 **So... fun stuff. I've been playing a lot of Detroit since getting the game. Then I got to see the trailers for Kingdom Hearts III and got all excited and _almost_ forgot about Detroit. Then I looked back at the TV screen and started playing more Detroit. Now, the Kingdom Hearts III trailers have had me buzzing with excitement. Couldn't help but think of my favorite Nobody characters while I was playing Detroit. Gradually an idea formed, I started wondering. Do Deviants have hearts? I'm not talking thirium pumps and beating hearts but the hearts that Nobodies lack and Heartless hunt for.**

 **Which brings us here. I think this'll be a six part story, I already have chunks of it written. So, while I'm trying not to get sidetracked from my other stories this already kind of had a life of it's own before I knew it.**

 **Getting any form of feedback, be it follows, favorites, reviews or PM would be greatly appreciated. I like to know what others are thinking.**


	2. The Moon

**Disclaimer: I don't own Detroit or Kingdom Hearts, but I do love both games greatly.**

 **Warning: Potential spoilers if you haven't fully explored the options offered in Detroit and/or if you haven't but intend to play Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.**

* * *

 _They say a heart is made of both light and darkness. What does that mean for those who lack a heart? Do they merely fall in the murky middle?_

* * *

The search for the AX400 android ended at the motel not far from the convenience store and the squat house occupied by two humans and a suspected Deviant android. They'd gone to search the room the Android and little girl had occupied for the night. But before Connor had ascended the stairs a pair of eyes watching had caught his attention. They were peering out from a neglected side door across from the stairs, feminine in appearance. A ski cap covered the forehead, potentially obscuring an android LED.

Without a thought android had gone to investigate. Opening the door however revealed yet another door, this one leading to the road. So, a chase began.

With the tip about it wearing different clothes taken from a youth at the laundromat, they'd contacted the youth about the clothes he'd lost. That had given them an idea of what the AX400 currently looked like. Some of the many cops that had been in the vicinity had recognized it immediately and attempted to stop it, only managing to slow it down a little. They had pointed Connor in the direction they'd seen it go as the RK800 wasn't far behind.

Despite knowing the Deviant had a gun after viewing footage from the convenience store, Connor's pursuit was unrelenting. With his speed, he was able to catch up to just about any other android in a chase. With the AX400 also running with a little girl, he caught up to them fast. They were just climbing over a fence when he neared them. Before the Deviant could get over the fence however, he grabbed it by the leg and for a moment the two struggled there. There was a rock thrown at Connor that was just enough a distraction for the Deviant to pull free and get over the fence.

With a fence in between them, Connor stared down the Deviant that looked right back at him.

Deviants were known for rash decisions. So when it turned and ran to the highway with the little girl, the Deviant hunter was ready to give chase without hesitation. That's when his partner Lieutenant Anderson caught up all out of breath. When Connor moved to climb over the fence, the Lieutenant had attempted to stop the android in vain.

So the chase continued on the highway.

Cars battered the Deviant relentlessly, no doubt causing it damage. Connor however was quite literally built for action, aside from a few bumps from the cars he made it to the median without a scratch. On the second half of the highway he'd managed to grab the Deviant and the two struggled briefly before being separated by a car. Despite the android being injured, it had escaped. Connor recovered fast but the pair had managed to move away from the highway fast enough because they were out of sight.

In the end the whole investigation had only served to make the Lieutenant more frustrated with the RK800. Most peculiarly it was the highway that seemed to have the Lieutenant most upset.

Back-tracking to the house, there was no sign of Lux or Ralph. The odd pair had seemingly disappeared. Deciding to investigate a little, he found the kitchen walls of the house had been covered in rA9 carvings, much like the bathroom at Carlor Ortiz's murder scene. Perturbed, it became clear that Ralph had likely been at the house for a while. Explaining why he might attack Roxas and Lux when they arrived the previous night, protecting the home.

Investigating the upstairs he had been able to previously thanks to Roxas, Connor found an even more worrisome sight. There was a body in the bathtub. A quick facial recognition scan found the man to have several minor offenses, largely involving money. The man had been unemployed, likely another squatter then. If Roxas and Lux could be believed they had only arrived the previous night which would suggest Ralph was the culprit based off the state of decomposition coming from the corpse.

"You're back?"

Turning around, Connor found himself facing Roxas once more. "I was under the impression you had vacated the building."

Roxas hadn't had much change aside from a new attire, having evidently discarded his long black coat in favor of something less conspicuous. That being evidenced by the hooded aviator jacket. It looked a bit big on the youth but not terribly so.

"We did, Lux didn't want to stick around anymore. But he thought one of his decks got left behind and sent me here to look for it." The youth scratched the back of his head, gazing about the small hallway they were in.

Pondering the statement for a moment, Connor turned his full focus on the young man. He'd come so close to catching the Deviant. While he might've found them without the boy, just knowing the clothes they were wearing helped the police to identify them. In the end they came close to catching the android and the little girl. Was it possible Roxas might've seen something else? "By chance, did you see the android do anything else? They managed to get away but almost got killed on the highway."

The young blonde looked a little shocked at the statement before going silent. A thoughtful look on his face. "They were... talking. To this garbage collector I think. Looked a lot like Ralph actually."

Connor's LED turned yellow for a moment as he processed the information. Another WR600 was likely involved then. One set to be in Camden around eleven in the evening. If he could contact Waste Management and search the android location logs, finding the one that had been in contact with the Deviant may prove worthwhile. It would be a simple matter even, standard procedure for any company with a significant number of androids was to keep a log. How else would a company know if a single one out of say twenty had disappeared after all?

Logging the information away for later, Connor turned his focus back on Roxas. "Thank you for letting me know... would you like assistance finding that deck?"

For a moment Roxas looked confused before seeming to recall his purpose in returning to the house. "Oh-no." He shook his head before reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a deck bound together with a rubber band. "Found it already."

It wasn't the same deck of cards Lux and Ralph had been using earlier. While it shared a purple coloring it was actually stranger in shape than the hexagon deck. These cards actually had an oval shape, with circles biting into where the supposed corners would be. Decorating it was two intersecting ovals that formed a diamond that was two triangles white and two triangles lavender.

Connor's brows furrowed, finding something odd. Roxas had come looking for the deck but somehow hadn't made a sound or been seen by the RK800 who had also been searching the house. "I see..." Briefly he considered asking about the body in the bathtub, yet Connor believed his earlier conclusion about Ralph being the culprit.

Ralph.

"Where did Ralph and Lux go anyways?"

"Don't know about Ralph. Lux is checking out places to eat I think, something about betting on challenges involving a pepper?" Roxas offered a small shrug before frowning. "Why?"

So far, the youth had been helpful. Would telling him about suspicions with regards to Ralph be so bad? After all, if they planned to meet Ralph again, there may be risk to the humans. "I believe Ralph might be a dangerous Deviant. I would suggest avoiding further contact."

"Deviant?" Tilting his head, the blonde seemed to be drawing a blank with the term.

"Androids that have encountered an odd phenomenon, allowing them to deviate from their original programming. They tend to act unpredictably and often times violently." Came the patient explanation from the deviant hunter. While it didn't seem wise to be telling a teen this kind of information, there was something odd about Roxas that told Connor it would be a good idea. "If you should encounter another, be sure to notify the authorities."

Because somehow Roxas had survived being attacked by a Deviant already. Somehow, he'd been exactly the witness Connor needed to further his investigation of the AX400 Deviant. If the trend continued, it seemed possible the blonde might meet other Deviants or maybe even Ralph again. The extra information for the boy could be worthwhile down the line in saving himself.

It wasn't that Roxas was an android, Connor was certain he'd have detected it by now. But he definitely wasn't a normal teenage boy. What was different however was beyond the android.

"Alright." Shuffling the deck of cards back into his pocket, Roxas gave a small nod. "I should get going. Might never find Lux again if I take too long."

Not saying anything, Connor watched the boy disappear out the front door. Something just wasn't quite adding up about Lux and Roxas. But they weren't of importance to the Deviant investigation. Therefore, investigating them wasn't even on his list of priorities.

* * *

"Why didn't you do it?" Roxas questioned as he rejoined Luxord in the food joint called Burger Zone, not far from the condemned house. He was trying to understand the older Nobody's motives, but the gambler had been tight-lipped since coming to Detroit. Not even explaining why he preferred to be called Lux currently.

Much like how Roxas had traded the Organization coat for a hooded aviator jacket found in an abandoned car. Luxord had also changed his coat, he now instead wore reversible jacket that had been found in the house. The jacket already flipped for the flannel appearance.

They'd seen Connor back-tracking to the house from their table, which had been at John's Coffee at the time. Luxord had suggested Roxas go and talk to the android again. See what information he might learn. They agreed to meet at Burger Zone after. While he gleaned a better understanding of androids, particularly Deviants, Roxas was pretty sure the tall blonde would've been able to communicate better. Probably learn more relevant information as well.

At this, Luxord sighed and shook his head. "The detective doesn't trust me. Probably the gambling he witnessed, but it's enough to put me in a bad light I suppose."

At that Roxas looked at the other Nobody incredulously. "What makes you think that?"

"You really have no sense for people boy." Shaking his head, Luxord turned his focus fully on the youth. "He was closed off and entirely focused on his task with me as well as Ralph. Wary. However he attempted to befriend you. After what you told him of that Deviant and the girl, his impression of you would only get better. My cards please?" He held out his hand for the cards he'd parted ways with temporarily for Roxas' excuse to go back to the house.

Rolling his eyes, Roxas returned the oval shaped deck. "Now what?"

"I've sent a few dusks to tail that android. They'll keep track of him. The cards are telling me to keep an eye on his movements." With a look of disdain Luxord removed the rubberband keeping the deck together and began shuffling the cards. "Now, did you learn anything?"

Resting his chin in his hand, the younger Nobody considered what he'd learned from the stable android that was Connor. He much preferred Connor to the twitchy Ralph as far as androids went. "That word, Deviant. It's just for androids that act out. Something about their programming I guess. Apparently he thinks Ralph is one."

Luxord gave a thoughtful hum as he started putting down cards. "Like how a Nobody differs from a real person. Only where a Nobody has no emotion, a Deviant has emotion, something a normal android shouldn't have."

Looking at the cards blankly, Roxas could only shake his head and sigh. He couldn't help but think that when it came to Luxord, things just weren't capable of being clear in meaning. "Now what?" He almost cursed himself for thinking it, but he was starting to wish Axel was with him instead. At least he wasn't cryptic and annoying.

The older Nobody gave no answer, his gaze locked on the cards he'd set down.

Defeated by silence, the younger Nobody went to order a burger as he figured it may take Luxord a while to snap out of his strange card trance. Besides, that was the condition they set forth when deciding to get food. John's coffee for Luxord and Burger Zone for Roxas. Not the optimal choices for a Nobody's diet by any means, but on a mission that lasted longer than a day, they would make do. Without complaints.

By the time Roxas returned to their table with a burger, fries and a drink, Luxord was out of his trance. Instead the older Nobody was stroking his goatee and thoughtfully looking out the window towards the house they'd spent the night in.

Aside from giving the odd gambler a questioning look, Roxas made no motion towards Luxord. Instead the younger Nobody focused on his food. While eating he noted seeing a car that didn't look like most of the boxes on wheels he'd seen. Thinking back, it had been outside the convenience store back when the police investigation had started in full. The car even had a vague telltale sign of being followed.

A silvery streak, moving from one object to another, almost seamlessly. The telltale sign of a dusk nobody on the move. Most would never pick up on the movement, at best mistaking it for a trick of the light. However Roxas had spent far too much time with the Organization not to recognize the movements of the minor nobodies. No doubt the ones following Connor then.

With a sigh, Roxas took a bite out of his burger. It seemed wrong to play Connor as he had. The man had truly seemed to have his best interests at heart... Except he wasn't a man. He also didn't have a heart. Neither of them did actually. But then why would an android care for a literal Nobody? Androids weren't supposed to care.

Looking up from the half-eaten burger, Roxas found Luxord looking towards him thoughtfully. Hesitantly, the younger put his food down. "What?"

"The swords are speaking quite a lot is all." The taller blonde Nobody stated simply, shaking his head with a sardonic smirk.

Looking at the older blonde blankly, the younger had no idea what to say. Deciding he didn't want to hear any further cryptic words from Luxord until the sun was below the horizon, Roxas returned his attention to his food.

* * *

Lieutenant Anderson wasn't happy that they appeared to be getting further sidetracked. He was a grizzled man whose hair had turned gray and unkempt, as was his beard. By human standards the shirt he wore would be considered tacky and he wore a heavy jacket suited for the cool and rainy weather of the fall.

Waste Management had been graciously accommodating for Connor's investigation. They'd located the two androids that had been in the Camden area in the proper time frame and pulled them from active duty. All Connor had to do was figure out which android had spoken with the AX400 the previous night and extract any potential information with regards to where the Deviant may have fled to. The Lieutenant had been left little choice but to drive, he didn't seem particularly happy with investigating garbage collection of all things.

Upon arriving at the small office building that represented Detroit's Waste Management branch, Connor made a beeline to the reception desk where an idle android was seated. The human aspect of Waste Management had been minimized greatly. Firstly because many issues rose up from environmentalists and the government. Subsequently falling under Government jurisdiction and becoming each state's respective responsibility. Then with the rise of androids, who wouldn't complain or go to a union, the human aspect was greatly diminished in more recent years.

Seeing the Waste Management building near-abandoned truly spoke of how things had fallen as technology rose up.

At Connor's arrival by the desk the secretary android immediately seemed to be jarred out of idling. A common ST300 android, female in appearance with black hair. The ST300 lacked almost all similarity to the ST200 androids that were much more familiar. ST200 androids had famously resembled the same android to originally pass the Turing test, the RT600 that had been known as Chloe. Where the ST200 and RT600 had possessed the classic, stereotypical blonde haired secretary appearance, ST300 was a lot more varied due to criticisms of the previous models.

"Hello. I'm the android from CyberLife, here to see the WR600 androids that were in the Camden area last night." No needless pleasantries were needed when androids conversed. Something that could be a relief for the Lieutenant who just wanted to get his lunch.

"I just need one moment to verify." Spoke the secretary, the LED turning yellow.

"Of course." Sensing the attempt to connect, Connor complied. His own LED turning yellow as he allowed the other android to verify his credentials.

After what seemed like an excruciatingly long moment the ST300 nodded. "They're just up the stairs, first door on the right."

Following the directions given by the android, they arrived in just a few short minutes. The room was simple, consisting of cabinets and counter tops and one odd sink beside a coffee maker. Safety hazard. There were a few posh chairs and a low table littered with electronic magazines. Truly a basic waiting room. But that wasn't the primary sight to greet you upon entering the room.

Instead, entering the side room one's focus would immediately be drawn to the two WR600 androids standing side by side. The only sign they were active being the lit LED, occasional blink and simulated breathing. As Roxas had stated, they looked like Ralph only they lacked the scars of the Deviant WR600. Serving to confirm Connor's suspicion with regards to Ralph's model. Only difference being the attire as they wore their uniforms for garbage pickup.

"I'm looking for an AX400 android. You were both in the Camden area late last night. A WR600 android with your exact model appearance has been cited interacting with this AX400." He addressed the duo WR600's flatly, waiting for a response that didn't come.

Connor looked between the lookalikes, neither of whom looked ready to speak. "Perhaps I should explain why I am looking for this AX400. A man was held at gunpoint late last night and one of you spoke with it. When it fled earlier today, it brought the little girl with it." Still not so much as a flicker of color in the LED or change in face. Perhaps a shocking revelation. "The Deviant brought the little girl to a highway and proceeded to try crossing it. It is likely damaged and the little girl may well be injured. If one of you are aware of where they may be going, you may well save them from any further rash actions. In their current state, they might not make it far as is. Those chances become lower still if anything should happen as they travel. I shouldn't have to explain that the further their destination, the lower their chance of making it."

There it was. The WR600 on the right's LED had the slightest flicker of yellow light.

But Connor didn't react immediately, deciding to allow a false sense of ease. "I'm not sure how far they'll get, especially with the AX400 bleeding out... Someone's bound to notice." A final attempt to get it to confess through worry. As it seemed likely the android that deviated from it's job to speak with another android was potentially Deviant itself. The question of why it maintained working Waste Management, it was hard to say. Looking between the pair however, the detective android shook his head, turning towards the Lieutenant. Another yellow flicker of the the LED from the WR600 on the right was all. "Maybe they overlooked an android. I'll have to check the logs personally to be certain."

Hank raised a disbelieving brow at the android detective. Despite them only knowing of one another for a short time, the pair had some idea of how the other acts. The Lieutenant knew the android to be relentless, as evidenced by the highway pursuit that had been a disturbingly real-life game of Frogger. Or the interrogation where both the good cop and bad cop being the same person-android-actually worked. So seeing Connor give up so easily didn't seem right at all to the man.

The small nod Connor sent Hank's way however eased the doubts of the long-time officer. Something had been learned evidently from the RK800's statements.

Moving as if to leave the room, the detective android abruptly grabbed the arm of the WR600 on the right. Connor's skin on his hand retreated revealing the white framework underneath as he connected with the android, forcefully probing the other android's memories.

With all of Connor's talk about the AX400, the WR600 had the night's events at the forefront of it's memory banks. A location came to mind, an address and a name that was transferred to the Deviant. Watching the memory progress, the RK800's sensors noted that the programming of the WR600 had been tampered with. The Waste Management android wasn't Deviant. It was reprogrammed.

Just as the detective was about to disconnect, something in the background of the memory changed. Figures seemed to abruptly appear from the darkness. Fast-forwarding to when the garbage truck whisked away the android to continue it's original function, Connor got a better look at the figures. The truck had gone right past the pair and even though it was rather dark. The platinum blonde hair stuck out a bit though.

Lux and Roxas.

He was aware the pair had arrived in Camden late that same night. But they had appeared abruptly in the android's memory. As though from midair in the darkness. Filing the information away for later, Connor released his hold on the other android. With his permissions, he was able to access any android's memories relatively easily. The WR600 wasn't acting adversely in any way. Had it been a Deviant, it likely would've acted violently. "This android's programming was corrupted. Reprogrammed I believe. But I know where the AX400 is going."

"Well, we're not going anywhere except for some food." Griped the Lieutenant already on his way out.

* * *

Lieutenant Anderson's quest for food stopped when he parked the car across the street from a food truck called Chicken Feed. The truck appeared to have been stationary for some time taking into account the tables, trashcans and even a dumpster on the side. A couple patrons could be seen standing around one of the tables, while on the other side there was another pair that appeared to be discussing something rather avidly.

As the Lieutenant exited the car and crossed the street, almost getting hit by a car in the process, the talking pair broke apart. One heading towards the Lieutenant and seemed to greet the man in a familiar manner.

Knowing that the Lieutenant wasn't happy with him at the moment, Connor decided it would be best to reconcile. To continue the investigation Connor needed the man to work with him. A bad relationship could potentially hinder investigations.

Exiting the car, Connor quickly checked his surroundings to avoid oncoming cars and approaching Hank and his apparent associate. As he reached them and made out their discussion, it could be gathered the two were talking about some form of gambling.

"One hundred percent guarantee. My buddy over there," The man gestured towards the one he'd been talking to before approaching Hank. "He's got the whole thing figured out. Apparently the big wigs are fixing the race, see? Not a lot of people are expecting this one so with the slim odds, the payout will be amazing."

Doing a quick scan, Connor was able to identify the evident gambler as Pedro Aabdar, who had a criminal record in illegal gambling and fraud. There's a flag. Glancing towards the man Pedro had gestured towards, Connor found himself looking at Lux. Like Roxas, the man had changed his black coat for something that blended in a bit better. A flannel patterned jacket.

Something was very weird about Lux, but it wasn't something Connor could figure at a glance. Much like with the younger blonde. Running a scan over the man however, raised alarm bells for the android where before there was only caution. Because there was no image of Lux in the databases. Several similar in appearance people were brought up in suggestion. None of them were Lux however. No data on the mysterious man. It was like he simply didn't exist.

Connor's LED flashed yellow for a moment, trying to understand what was wrong. Maybe something wasn't right in his processors? His gaze passing over the food truck owner, Gary Kayes with a criminal record for resisting arrest and breach of hygiene regulations. The food truck had a C in sanitation rating, seven years ago.

Everything seemed to be working properly. When he scanned Lux again however, where there should be a full name, date of birth and criminal record there was only an error. No available data on subject.

The strange man known as Lux seemed to notice he was being looked at and offered a rather wolfish grin before joining the small group himself. "Pedro, I thought I said to only tell those you trust about the horse."

"Ah, c'mon Lux, Hank's cool." The man identified as Pedro defended as he put the Lieutenant's money in his pocket. "Promise."

"Oh?" Lux raised a brow, looking the police Lieutenant up and down appraisingly before offering a shrug. "No matter. I'll leave the word to you then my friend." The gambler that by all accounts apparently didn't exist turned his gaze to the android detective. "Connor, a pleasure to see you again. I hope my ward's words earlier were helpful?"

"We're still investigating, but the lead in regards to the Waste Management android does appear promising." He assured with a small nod, trying to get a read on Lux but failing to do so.

"Wait a second, you know this guy Connor?" Hank appeared a little at a loss. Understandable though given that Connor was an android designed to follow the law and investigate crime. The android associating with a gambler? Not something one would expect.

"He was the one playing cards with the defective WR600 known as Ralph." Confirmed the RK800, faintly narrowing his eyes at the man. "Where is Roxas anyways?"

Lux offered a dismissive shrug, shuffling the cards he had in hand. Connor noticed they were the same oval-shaped cards Roxas had retrieved. "He's a teenager. He'll turn up eventually I'm sure. Worst case, he can handle himself."

Hank frowned at that, raising a brow. "Guardian of the year much? Maybe you should keep a better eye on him." There was a light in the Lieutenant's eyes that Connor couldn't quite discern. But it seemed Lux was already registering bad with him as well.

Despite this, the enigmatic man seemed indifferent. As if he couldn't care less about the youth under his care. "I wouldn't dare to tread to close in his life, might get burned..." For some reason unknown to the pair, Lux chuckled as though he'd said something funny. "I am late for a rendezvous, so while I hate to cut a _friendly_ chat like this short, I should be going. Oh, and Lieutenant, do give Pedro my regards next time you see him."

Without so much as a backwards glance, Lux waved goodbye while walking past the pair. Going on his way as if he hadn't just gotten the ire of a police Lieutenant.

"What a creep." Hank muttered, eyeing the man warily as he walking. "Connor, I suggest staying away from that guy."

* * *

Connor's LED was a burning yellow as he looked at the scene before him. The body of an android on the ground of an ally, looking to have potentially taken a nasty fall from the rooftops above. A human youth he recognized as Roxas staring, appearing frozen in shock at the fallen android. There were a few specks of blue blood dotting his jacket, likely belonging to the fallen android.

Rupert is what the broken android was known to have gone by. A Deviant that Connor and Lieutenant Anderson had gone to investigate after the lunch Hank had at the Chicken Feed. They'd searched the allegedly unoccupied apartment they'd been called to. One that had been the center of a ruckus when they announced their presence.

What they'd found was a number of pigeons, a false ID, scribbles of "rA9" and a strange journal Connor couldn't decipher on the spot.

Perhaps what perturbed Connor the most about the sight of Rupert currently, was that he'd been been chasing the android until only moments before. What had put an end to Connor's pursuit was when the Deviant had pushed Hank off the roof. In a split second decision, the RK800 had given up the chase in favor of saving the Lieutenant.

So, the Deviant known as Rupert should have been able to get away.

Why then, was Rupert on the ground a broken mess and why then, was Roxas coincidentally near the scene of a Deviant involved crime for a second time?

* * *

 **Well, would you look at that. Android down...**

 **I assure you, we'll be back tracking next chapter to find out what happened. Err... don't try to kill me in the meantime? Heheh...**

 **So, following the high-tech theme that comes with Detroit, I've been delving into movies and shows. Had a strong start with a few classics, then I found this movie called Anon. While I already figured our Nobody duo wouldn't be on record, watching Anon gave me some thoughts. Not the best movie, but I digress. Interesting.**

* * *

 **Review responses:**

 **SergeantLesbian: Here's some more. Hope it holds your interest.**

 **StarPlazma: I get weird ideas for fanfiction, crossovers and stories in general all the time. I once wrote a crack story about a burrito. But interesting and weird ideas are always fun to explore. As for how the Nobodies are changing the choices, we've already got some faint echoes of that going here. I do hope you continue to enjoy.**

 **EmperorSnorlax: I do recommend it, I've played it through several times already. Very good game. As for the story, well, I think it's being continued here.**

 **DARKPHANTOM13: Curiouser and curiouser I hope.**

 **KnucklesProtector: I hope for you to read more as it progresses as well.**

 **edboy4926: Well, that's a scene to infuriate anyone with a heart. 3 There are so many different possible outcomes, I love it. Be it the path of carnage or the refusal to hurt anyone if possible or that murky middle, there's so much cause and effect. You can make a whole discussion passive but like in Connor's interrogation, one move (like a memory probe) and things tick up from zero to a hundred instantly.**

 **Kuraiko-chan349: I actually do have a couple other crossover ideas between Kingdom Hearts and Detroit, so there may yet be more. I'm glad you like the portrayal, it's not easy when the characters believe themselves to be void of emotions and the like. Takes away from certain motions. Now Ralph, for some reason I got this idea of Ralph enjoying a game of cards and couldn't let it go... I think when writing him in the future I'll always have to include cards... might've ruined myself there but part of the fun of writing fanfiction.**

 **kerrowe: This isn't a story I felt would be good for putzing around with Nobody drama when it won't be super relevant until maybe the end. Also, I can assure more chapters are on the way.**

* * *

 **As stated last chapter: Getting any form of feedback, be it follows, favorites, reviews or PM would be greatly appreciated. I like to know what others are thinking. Also, any ideas I'm not above considering. Not everything's set in stone here.**


	3. The Tower

**Disclaimer: I don't own Detroit or Kingdom Hearts, but I've had varied high levels of obsession for both.**

 **Warning: Potential spoilers if you haven't fully explored the options offered in Detroit and/or if you haven't but intend to play Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.**

 **Update Note: At current, I believe I'll be able to get a new chapter out every two weeks. This rate may change if things overlap with the fall semester however. Right now my only interfering concern is work and occasional family events.**

* * *

 _What is there to an action if there's no heart to go with it?_

* * *

Roxas eyed the street below warily, wondering why Luxord wanted to meet on the roof of a building. He'd been more or less wandering the streets, observing what Detroit had to offer. Compared to most worlds he'd been to, it was definitely the loudest. Comparable in size to the World That Never Was, perhaps even bigger. Far more populated than Twilight Town

Turning towards the fellow Nobody, Roxas walked over so he could see the view that the gambler was observing. A vast field stretched out, spanning a considerable distance on the rooftops. Across the field was even more structures that looked to be green houses. Machinery traversed the field, taking down parts of the field as they went.

"Why are we here?" Questioned the younger blonde, staring at the rooftop field in wonder. A dusk had come to the youth with a message from Luxord on where to meet up. They'd split up previously to widen the scope of investigation. Although Roxas' lacking personality proved a difficult hurdle to pass in digging up much information. He had been learning how to operate the technology of the world however.

Their magazines utilized touch screens. He'd managed to learn a little about an AX400 android that was on the run, based off the article it was likely the one Connor had been chasing. It was a start at least.

"Our friend the android detective got a lead. I sent some dusks ahead to investigate and it looks promising towards our own ends." Came a patient reply as Luxord shuffled another strange looking deck.

"Just how many dusks are here in Detroit?"

Luxord gave no definitive answer, only a smirk. Down below the sound of cracking wood could be heard, as well as that of someone shouting.

"Now what?" The younger blonde Nobody questioned as a figure charged out of the building they stood on as if to answer the young blonde's question. He was quickly followed by the familiar figure of Connor.

"We observe and if we see an opportunity, we move in." Luxord stated, offering a wolfish grin before snapping his figures. In response, several silvery figures appeared. Without a word the gambler point towards the apparent fugitive. "Let me know if the course changes."

Without a word the dusks seemed to slither away just as a man exited the building following Connor and the runner.

"Meanwhile, we'll keep pace in our own way." Luxord raised his hand and a dark corridor opened. He said nothing as he stepped through, the portal closing behind him.

Roxas could just make out the older Nobody appearing across the rooftop field, stepping out on top of a taller structure that had a billboard facing Roxas that had a big UFD in green letters.

A dark corridor chase. He hadn't used dark corridors in a full-on chase before.

He hesitated only a moment before picking a spot near Luxord and opening his own dark corridor and stepping through.

Coming out, he was able to get a better look at the strange field around them and then some. For what appeared to be miles were fields and green houses. Rooftop farming? Well, that would explain the field they'd used dark corridors to get across. He could make out all sorts of androids at work. Some moving boxes, others working on crops, yet more doing a wide range of tasks. It came as a minor shock, having never seen more than a couple androids at once before.

A click of the tongue from Luxord brought Roxas back to the situation. "Focus. You can gawk later." Once more the older Nobody opened a corridor without warning and disappeared.

Looking around, Roxas realized he had no idea where the chase was at or where Luxord had gone off to.

It was the sound of shouts that drew the younger Nobody's attention. Focusing on a spot on a rooftop water tank, Roxas was quick to open a dark corridor and step through. Finding himself on the aforementioned water tank, a quick look around helped him locate the action. Almost out of sight, both the runner and Connor went over a ledge and slid down the glass paneling of what was probably another greenhouse.

It was quite a sight and Roxas had to give the android detective some props for the unrelenting chase. Especially when the runner, followed by Connor, jumped on top of a moving train. They didn't stay on the train for long however, launching off the train for a ladder that brought them up to a rooftop grove.

Realizing he was about to lose them, Roxas looked to the taller facility near the grove that looked to be in the direction they were going. Quickly opening another dark corridor the young Nobody stepped through, only to find himself sliding.

His dark corridor had opened up on the slanted glass roof of a greenhouse.

The only thing to stop him from missing the narrow ledge that rounded of the glass roof was a hand that grabbed him by the shoulder. With the abrupt stop, Roxas found one foot already off the roof and another just barely on the ledge.

"Would think you'd never done a chase like this before." Came the amused voice of Luxord who had his eyes on the end of the smaller neighboring greenhouse.

"I haven't." Huffed the younger blonde, pulling himself back to moderate safety.

Travel by dark corridor was common for Nobodies. Rapid dark corridor use was uncommon and Roxas had never really had need for it in the past. Generally speaking his main task on missions was Heartless elimination.

Heartless didn't run from a Keyblade wielder. Not unless they were a rare Heartless that had a self-preservation instinct or some minor intelligence. In fact they were more attracted to a Keyblade than repelled.

So learning rapid dark corridor movement had never been a priority. But it varied greatly from regular world-to-world corridors. Moving from one world to another, there was a span to cross while in the dark corridor due to the sheer distance of worlds in that case.

Rapid use however was only good in a chase, you pretty much walked through one corridor and exited the the other immediately due to the small amount of distance to cover. Well, small by the dark corridor standard anyways. It was all about knowing where the next point was and connecting them both for a short moment.

One step in the dark corridor, one step out the dark corridor.

"Oh? Then you're doing good for a first try." Praised the gambler, his gaze turning to the other side of their current platform. "On we go." He reached across the youth, opening a dark corridor and giving Roxas a light shove that the darker blonde took as a hint to move.

Stepping through brought Roxas to the opposite edge of the building they were on, just in time to see the runner scuffle briefly with a man. As Connor caught up, a final shove from the fugitive sent the man over the side of the building.

Not even looking back at the man that could well fall to his death, the runner bolted the other way. The man shoved over the edge caught the ledge and seemed to be struggling. Roxas was about to move to assist only to be stopped by a familiar hand on the shoulder.

As if on cue Connor gave up the chase in favor of saving the man.

Roxas turned his gaze to Luxord.

"Let's catch up with the person of interest." The older Nobody showed no concern for the pair of android and man, his gaze on the still running figure. "We may yet end this mission early."

Another dark corridor opened by Luxord and Roxas found himself near an edge. The runner had been going in his direction up until the sudden appearance. Before he could turn and run the other way however, the gambling Nobody appeared behind him.

Not giving him a chance to make a break for the open sides, Luxord unleashed several cards that seemed to expand and block off the routes of escape. Between the enlarged cards and the two Nobodies, the fugitive was trapped in a circle.

Luxord's current deck varied considerably from the other two he'd brought out so far. The current cards had a wavy cut to the top that stretched out from the main body of the card, with another smaller bit coming out just below. On the lower half, the cut had been replicated only going the opposite way of the top. They were white in color with pale blue markings that gave the white backing some wave-like patterns.

"What is this?" The stranger looked between the odd pair and observed his surroundings. No doubt wondering where the peculiar wall came from. After all, how many people had seen a wall seemingly come out of nowhere before?

"We're merely curious." Came the dismissive reply of the gambler. A smug smirk on his face as he shuffled some of his cards about. "At the moment, Deviants like you are our point of interest."

Roxas started at the revelation. "A Deviant?" After a second, he realized it made sense. Normal humans would've had great trouble running with someone like Connor on their trail. But what threw the young Nobody for a loop, was probably the lack of indication. No clothes that seemed to have light stitched into them, no LED on the temple.

Indicators that they'd learned from Ralph were meant to help identify androids.

Trying to take advantage of Roxas' momentary lapse, the android attempted to break through the encirclement. He lunged toward the younger Nobody.

Unfortunately for the android, Roxas wasn't an average youth. Even with a brief distraction, the younger Nobody could have a weapon at a moment's notice. As evidenced when he summoned his Keyblade in a quick flash of light, the Rejection of Fate appearing in his hands as he slashed forward. The sound of a metallic Keyblade making contact with something hard was clear.

Recoiling from the blow, the android stepped back holding the spot that had been hit. A blue liquid marking his hands.

Looking at Roxas with a newfound caution, the Deviant eyed the new weapon. Like the wall that weapon had appeared out of nowhere. The odd human pair becoming stranger and more worrisome still. Seeing no other choice at the moment, the android turned his attention back to Luxord. "What do you want human?"

There was an amused look on the gambler's face as he finished shuffling his cards. "Just need to know if you have something. We'll be on our way afterwards." From the top of his remaining deck he drew three cards.

"This is all I got." Standing up straight but keeping a hand on the apparent injury, a bitter look crossed the android's face. Holding out his free hand and showing it to be empty. "That android back there took my journal."

"Oh, we've no interest in any old book." Shaking his head, Luxord eyed the three cards in his hand. "What we're looking for, I doubt you would know anything about."

"Then what is this? Why surround me…? Better yet how? Who are you guys?" The questions just seemed to bubble out of the android. Unlike with the dysfunctional Ralph, this android was in much better working order. Of course it would question the oddities it was seeing rather than assuming magic.

"Nobody to concern yourself with." Luxord focused his gaze on his fellow Nobody. "Roxas, finish it."

"What?" The blonde furrowed his brow at the senior Nobody.

"Like defeating a Heartless. Destroy it, see if it releases a heart."

"I-what?" Shaking his head, Roxas took a step back. "He's not a Heartless though."

"Is it really not though?" An apathetic look truly worthy of one lacking a heart crossed the gambler's face. "For all we know, this is why the world seemingly lacks Heartless. What if they're taking hearts for themselves?"

"What… are you two talking about?" The unfortunate android in the middle was at a total loss. Fear was starting to kick in at the talk of destruction. His question however went ignored. His head was turning from side to side looking for an escape not so subtly.

"No." Shaking his head, Roxas looked to Luxord with furrowed brows. "I can't to that to him, I'm not a-"

"You saw it push that man over the edge. No remorse. Would have done the same to you if you hadn't summoned the Keyblade. It may look like us, but that's just a skin." Luxord took a step forward, tossing the three cards up as they began to glow. Rotating in the air, the glow they seemed to emit turned a silvery purple. "At best a monster, just like the Heartless. I can't release hearts however, my cards can't measure up to a Keyblade in that regard. If it has a heart, it may well be stolen and this is what we're here to learn. Do they have hearts? If so, how?"

A shaking of the head once more from Roxas and the Keyblade disappeared. There was a stubborn look crossing his features. "It's not right."

For just a moment, the android might've thought that maybe not all humans were horrible. It made to run past Roxas, the gap between buildings behind the youth was a host to thick window sills. As long as it moved fast enough, an escape could be made. An end game for his escape should he ever be found in that apartment.

Just as the android was passing Roxas however, the cards Luxord had thrown into the air struck. Each one flying with a dangerous intent.

The younger Nobody summoned his Keyblade once more, but it was too late. One card tore through the android's shoulder. A second went through half his left knee. For the third, it went through just below the sternum, going through the thirium pump regulator.

With the android having been moving to jump for a ledge, the impact of the cards only served to send the android of over the side of the building.

Without a thought, Roxas looked over the edge to the bottom of what appeared to be an ally. Raising a hand he opened a dark corridor and stepped through, coming out at the bottom of the ally.

Lifting the Keyblade, he hastily pointed to the falling android. "Aero!" A burst of wind shot forth from the tip of the weapon towards the android.

It was all he could do to lessen the force of the fall.

* * *

As Hank came up beside Connor, the man cursed at the sight.

Deciding to try and understand what happened, Connor stepped up to Rupert's remains to get a better look at the surroundings as a whole. First he looked at the damage Rupert had sustained.

There was a straight-edged cut in the Deviant's shoulder that seemed odd unless he'd been in a fight with something like a sword. The right knee looked almost completely separated, a clean cut halfway through that had possibly been widened forcibly by the impact with the ground. Most notable though was another straight cut that went through the thirium pump regulator, the damage looking to be a straight line front and back. One odd note was a fourth injury to the side that didn't match the MO of the other three. What's more though, there was a chief lack of apparent damage that would've been caused by a fall.

Looking about the ally for anything odd, Connor first noticed a distinct lack of trash. As though someone had been by to sweep it all away recently. While his gaze went up the walls, he noticed the window ledges were pretty big. A probable escape route for Rupert should he be in a one on one chase.

But something had gone wrong.

Near the rooftop, a strange mark could be made out in one of the walls, opposing the side Rupert would have come from. He'd have to return to the rooftop to get a better look.

So, his gaze came back to Roxas, who had clearly seen something. "What happened?"

No reaction came from the blonde however.

"Roxas?" Placing a hand on the strange teen's shoulder, the android attempted to rouse the youth from his shock. "What happened here?"

The contact made him start, which was something at least. Panicked blue eyes rose up to meet Connor's brown. "I-I-he fell." In his current state, it was hard to get a proper read on whether what he said was a truth or not.

Taking into account the lack of scattered pieces and scrapes that would come with a fall, Connor was more inclined to believe the statement a lie however.

"C'mon Connor, cut the kid some slack." Surprisingly, it was Hank who spoke up on the youth's behalf. The Lieutenant stepped up beside him to get a better look at Roxas. "Probably never saw a dead body before…. For humans that's a shock to the system. Even if it is an android body."

Connor's LED turned yellow for a second as he considered the statement before looking back up to the strange mark in the brickwork near the rooftop. "I'm going to check on something. Can you watch him?"

In answer the police lieutenant raised a brow. "And where're you going?"

"To check something on the roof." Came the simple answer as the android began to walk away.

"Well… I think I've had enough of being on a roof to last the week." After a near-death experience on the roof, it wasn't a surprise that Hank wasn't interested in going up again not even an hour later.

* * *

"So… Roxas, right?"

He recognized the man surprisingly. It was the same one the Deviant had shoved off the roof. Roxas could only assume that meant the man and Connor were working together in their own Deviant investigation. The man had an unkempt appearance and didn't smell particularly pleasant.

Oddly though, the Nobody wasn't too bothered by the presence.

The man sighed, rubbing the back of his head looking a little awkward himself. "The name's Hank Anderson, I'm a lieutenant with the Detroit Police Department."

Since the fall, his thoughts had been numb. It hadn't occurred to him that he should leave. He'd just been frozen, staring on in disbelief. Part of him just waiting for Rupert to start moving again. But the android didn't even twitch after a soft landing. Just laid there in that awkward position. The arrival of Connor and this man, Hank, barely even registered. Why was he frozen in place? What was this weight he felt?

When Roxas gave no response, the man grimaced but said nothing for a long moment. Placing a firm but gentle hand on the youth's shoulder, he gently turned the Nobody away from Rupert. "Look… I know it's hard seeing… whatever you saw and I'm not gonna try forcing ya to talk."

Finally a response, although minor in the form of a wavering gaze focusing on the officer.

Being the focus seemed to make Hank a little uneasy and he shifted his stance slightly. "Erm…." He also seemed at a loss as to how to go forward. "Look uh… if you want to talk…. I mean… I know Connor's not exactly a sympathetic figure."

At this point Roxas was actually looked a little puzzled by what the police lieutenant was trying to say. Although watching the fumbling officer was something that was almost laughable.

"Damnit…." The Lieutenant cursed lightly and grimaced more to himself than anything. "Sorry, I suck at comfort. Just… if you want to talk I'll listen, okay? Or maybe we can find your guardian." He scrunched up his nose at that as if smelling a bad fish. "Then again Lux is a creep… no offense."

At the mention of the other Nobody, Roxas twitched. Luxord, there was no telling what the gambler would be up to now. "You… know Lux?" But it wouldn't be good, that much he was certain. Based off his actions on the roof. Never before had he seen that side to the gambling Nobody.

"He speaks… yeah. Ran into him not too long ago." Hank's brows furrowed turning his gaze back to the youth. "Wanna call him or somethin'?"

Roxas shook his head, perhaps a little too fast because the Lieutenant's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I-" He blanked trying to think up an excuse. By call, surely it was in reference to a phone. Something that was never in a Nobody's inventory. "We-uh, neither of us have phones. Can't contact him." Never before had he had a need to lie… but it seemed like a good thing. Because he appeared pretty bad at it.

Hank raised a disbelieving brow. "No phones? What kind of two-bit pony-bettin' broker doesn't have a phone?"

Honestly, there was no good way to answer that question.

* * *

There wasn't much to be seen on the roof. Some oddly curved lines that made two halves of a broken circle were in the concrete. Spatters of Rupert's blue blood near the middle and going towards the ledge. Two trails of blue blood though, just far enough apart to be discernible until getting to the ledge and the middle of the circle. Injured by the ledge once before backtracking perhaps?

One particularly large spattering of blue blood was on the edge of the building and marking where the Deviant had likely "fallen" from.

Stepping up to the edge, Connor eyed the mark in the brickwork of the building across from him. It was a strange one, a deep line pressed in at an angle and a deep spherical impression around it like one might expect from a canon ball. Yet there was no sign of any weapon, and certainly not artillery.

Focusing on the line in the indentation, he thought back to the cut that went through Rupert's thirium pump regulator. There was even a bit of blue in the mark, thirium from Rupert likely. The line through the pump regulator and the line in the wall seemed well matched.

Stepping back from the edge, Connor attempted to reconstruct the scene.

Based off the four injuries to Rupert, he would suppose the first was the odd fourth injury to the side. Whatever had hit the Deviant had perhaps caused a retreat.

So, he visualized Rupert trying to staunch the bleeding of the first wound and going away from an unknown cause.

Around the middle of the incomplete circle, blue blood was a little thicker. Perhaps the Deviant had stood in place at the time.

Something changed, the unknown first force likely wasn't opposing the Deviant then. Rupert runs for the edge only to be struck. Likely from behind. Unlikely to have been done by the first force due to the inconsistency of the damage. A second force perhaps.

The order in which the wounds occurred would make sense. With the damage done to the thirium pump regulator, Rupert would have been down and out too soon. Damage to the left knee would make the trek back to the edge too difficult. Potentially, the shoulder could have predated all other damages, but it seemed likely both the thirium pump regulator and knee damages had been inflicted either in rapid succession or at the same time. Making it likely the damage to the shoulder occurred at the same time.

Whatever had done the damage though was a question on it's own.

It had gone through Rupert and left a mark in the wall across like certain bullets might a human. But it was a thin line like a sword… only thinner still.

He needed more information.

Because the blue blood on the roof confirmed that Rupert had indeed been up there. But how his remains got to the bottom of the ally without further damage was a mystery. Roxas had definitely seen something, he was certain but if the youth refused to talk things would be difficult. It was safe to say androids were an easy read for Connor. Most humans weren't hard to decipher. Roxas and Lux had... unusual mannerisms though. Their motions and reactions often had a hollow edge.

To some extent, they reminded Connor of non-Deviant androids. Simulated emotion and hollow motions.

In the end, their breathing wasn't simulated though. They were alive. So why were they so different?

No matter. Is what he had to confirm to himself as he made his way back down to the ally. If he couldn't get Roxas to talk about what happened, there wasn't much that could be done. His last chance was to try Rupert's memory. Although the RK800 wasn't too hopeful as Deviant memory had been proving difficult to access after being forcefully taken offline. A most problematic block in the investigation of deviancy in androids.

The sight that greeted him back at the ally included Hank with his arms crossed, a brow raised at Roxas who for all intents and purposes, looked like he wanted to leave.

"So, find anything?" Questioned the Lieutenant, turning his gaze from the boy to the android.

"Rupert was indeed on the roof." Stated the detective android as he stepped up beside said Deviant's remains. "I found signs of a confrontation."

"So maybe he didn't so much as fall as he was pushed?"

"I believe he was attacked from behind. The attack sent the Deviant over the edge." Crouching beside the no longer functioning Deviant, he analyzed the damage a second time. Damage to the thirium pump regulator while potentially a guaranteed shutdown, wasn't a naturally fast end for any android. However the three other prominent damages would have put a lot more strain on the system. It was likely Rupert had known it would shutdown after the damage done to the side.

Chances were, the memory files were largely going to be inaccessible. Calculated Deviant shutdown, meaning the Deviant knew what was coming and had made it's files inaccessible to others.

Connor glanced towards Roxas, he'd try once more before doing anything. "Roxas, if you know of anything happening, it would be wise to inform us now."

Shaking his head, there was an oddly dark look on the blonde's face. "Nothing."

Focusing on Rupert once more, Connor only gave a small nod. "Lieutenant, I believe Roxas should be taken to the station until we can contact his guardian."

"Right." Hank could be heard muttering. "Hey kid, got a music preference?"

"I'll join you shortly." The android called over his shoulder before carefully thinking his next move carefully. Generally speaking, he wasn't supposed to probe Deviants at the risk of deviancy being a virus. But it seemed the only way they'd be able to get a possible answer to what happened.

With his left hand, Connor touched the former Deviant's temple where an LED should be. His right hand took hold of Rupert's and the skin on the detective's hands receded, revealing the white shell most androids shared. In response to the contact, Rupert's skin also receded as a connection was attempted.

A few flickering scenes that meant little to him and Connor's back in the ally.

Removing his hands, the RK800's skin returns. Rupert's however remains as it was during the contact, leaving the damaged android's remains appearing a touch patchy. A cleanup team would be by soon to clean up the scene and take Rupert for evidence.

Trying to make sense of what he did glean from Rupert was proving fruitless. Deciding to leave it on a background processor for the time being, he stood up and went to return to the Lieutenant's car. He could already hear some heavy metal music playing.

Considering his options, the most logical course of action would be to follow up on the possible next location of the AX400 android. Having already run the address through the Detroit Census and Residency listings, he knew the location to be the home of Zlatko Andronikov. Searching up Zlatko brought up a purchase history of secondhand androids, all mostly in severe need of repair and as a result sold cheap. This suggested a tech background that could explain the reprogramming of the WR600 android he'd encountered at Waste Management.

Once Roxas was assuredly under watch, he'd try convincing the Lieutenant to go to the residence of this Zlatko. Although based off Hank's apparent stress since nearly falling off the roof, it seemed likely the man would be against it. In which case, he'd go alone. They'd already dawdled too long, there was no telling how long the AX400 would stay at Zlatko's before being on the move again.

Before entering the Lieutnant's car, Connor cast one last look towards the ally.

 **SOFTWARE INSTABILITY: ^**

* * *

 **I think I took some inspiration from the Harry Potter movies with regards to the dark corridor chase.**

 **On another note... I did not expect the Rupert chase and investigation to go so long.** **As a result and in light of the half-finished next chapter I've had to revise the story length. In the first chapter in the bottom note I stated this was set for six chapters. I no longer have any idea how many chapters this will span. It's taken a life of it's own, expanded a little and snowballed on me.** **Now we got Roxas on a watch list at the very least and that... wasn't in the original idea to be honest. But I like where it's going even better this way.**

 **All I'll say, blame Luxord.**

* * *

 **Review Responses:**

 **kerrowe: Well, I don't know about Roxas at this point, maybe he'll run off to the promised land of Canada. But Luxord seems to have an army of dusks looking for convenient points of interest. No telling where he'll turn up next.**

 **SergeantLesbian: I'm glad the character portrayal is up to code. Trying to keep a character in character is something I spend a lot of time studying for. At least until the story messes the character up. With Detroit, I don't even need an excuse to replay the game several times so character study has been something else.**

 **Kuraiko-chan349: I think Connor's getting some thought processes crossed at this point trying to figure out the weirdness going on. At the moment I'm not sure how much Hank's going to learn... although I think now I have a slightly evil idea with that. Ralph, I mean, he's a lovable crazy nut at times. Maybe he just needs something like a calming game of solitaire to calm down. With regards to Vexen and other Organization members... I think I got another idea for a short crossover. Wandering mind. Don't worry about late comments, I'm not exactly a consistent responder myself.**

 **ptl: Happy to have the interest. As for Rejection of Fate, it's one of Roxas and Xion's usable Keyblades in 358/2 Days. It's actually one of my favorite canon Keyblade gears. Has good attack power, but I think it's Rejection of Fate's reach that wins me over combat wise. The abilities it comes with are Offensive Block, Defender and Second Chance or Damage Control, depending on if the gear is upgraded or not. Hence why it's at times nicked as a defensive type.**

 **Furryandroid: Happy to give someone a laugh. Also thought it'd be a waste not to give Roxas and Luxord a new look. Even if that look was originally Kara's.**

* * *

 **As always, the various forms of feedback are always appreciated. Thoughts and concerns I'm always willing to address. Also open to ideas as well since the snowball's already rolling.**


	4. The Hermit

**Disclaimer: I do not own Detroit: Become Human or Kingdom Hearts, this crossover might actually happen at some point otherwise.**

 **Warning: Potential spoilers is you have not fully explored the options in Detroit and/or if you have not but intend to play Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.**

* * *

 _Is it an error to act? An error to feel something?_

* * *

It was raining.

That was the first thing he noted about his current surroundings. In his hands he could feel a weight, looking down revealed an umbrella.

His surroundings were a far cry from Detroit. Beneath his feet was a white stone path that looked as though it had been carved out of the ground. The area as a whole looked to be a massive zen garden, complete with raked sand and ornamental plants. Of particular note were the cherry blossom trees and the Japanese maples. However there was no denying the technological traits of the modern world that penetrated the otherwise peaceful scenery.

Some could be mistaken for a tree if you didn't look up and saw the dark glass panels that made one think of solar panels like the one Connor currently stood under. Following the carved path one would find rods of light poking up almost like reeds, only one would be hard pressed to mistake the light for a plant. An even larger scale version of the solar panel tree could be made out towards the center of the garden.

He knew what he was looking for but there was something else he wanted to check before anything. Following the path he took a left, not minding as the white stone path broke off and he was left to follow a cobblestone path that brought him to a particularly strange looking rock. Something else that didn't look to belong in a zen garden. A dark blue glow emanated from it and what looked like a hand scanner could be clearly seen. One of the solar panel trees towered over it.

Connor had noticed the stone once before in a previous visit. It stuck out in his mind, much like the odd gravestone he'd seen that had his serial number that was appended by one. The tombstone's naming being Connor Mark (I) and going on to list the serial number and location of decommission. Something that had made it clear that he was by no means a unique model.

The recollection made the LED on his temple flicker to yellow for just a moment.

Focusing on the odd glowing stone, he raised his hand to the apparent scanner. However making contact he found his hand repelled by an unknown force.

Frowning, he hesitated just a moment before backtracking along the path until he crossed a bridge made of white stone that followed the path in the opposite direction of the strange stone. He would've kept following the path, but he had to pause a moment and look towards the apparent gravestone of his predecessor.

It stood alone, a single slab of white stone in the rain. He didn't know the full details but he remembered most of it. That model's memories had been uploaded to him but not in their entirety. All of it pertained to an event that took place nearly three months previous. CyberLife had claimed to have removed the minor kinks displayed by the Mark I before releasing the current him. A simple search and several news articles would inform anyone curious about what happened. That the Mark I had saved a girl while pushing the offending Deviant off the building and going down with it.

Despite the restricted memories however, sometimes he could swear the sensation of falling was there when he closed his eyes. Even though the memory of the fall was simply not there.

Tearing his gaze from the stone, his LED a bright yellow again, he took a moment to compose himself before continuing along the path.

His LED back to a calm blue, he could see her standing beneath a solar panel tree not far from the grave.

Amanda. His handler.

Whenever she wanted to discuss events or send him in the direction of another major happening, she summoned him to the Zen Garden. A stern looking woman that never seemed to smile.

"Hello Amanda." He greeted once he was close enough.

"Connor. I've been expecting you. Would you mind a little walk?" She spoke calmly and evenly, a smile that wasn't a smile on her face.

In compliance, he stepped up beside her and lifted the umbrella to shield her from the rain.

As they started walking, she spoke again. "That Deviant seemed like an interesting case. A pity you both failed to capture it and allowed it to be destroyed. Now I must ask about your interest in the boy."

"Roxas proved helpful in locating the AX400 Deviant. The fact that he saw what happened to Rupert means he may yet have more useful information. If we can get him to talk we may yet uncover another lead."

"I hope you're not getting too attached to him." She was sounding suspicious of his actions. "You came very close to capturing that Deviant. How is your relationship with the Lieutenant developing?"

"He seemed grateful that I saved his life on the roof. He didn't say anything, but he expressed it in his own way." He kept moving along the path only to notice she'd stopped.

"You're investigation of the WR600 android proved a potential breakthrough. While also giving us a potential violation to look into with regards to having been hacked. For that, you have done well." Despite the rain now falling on Amanda freely, for all appearances she remained dry. "But we don't have much time. Deviancy continues to spread. It's only a matter of time before the media finds out about it. We need to stop this, whatever it takes."

"I will solve this investigation Amanda. Whatever it takes." Connor affirmed, meeting her unwavering gaze. "I won't disappoint you."

Closing her eyes, Amanda looked down for a moment. Looking up there was an indiscernible light in her eyes. "A new case just came in. Find Anderson and investigate it."

Blinking several times, Connor found the Zen Garden had disappeared. Instead he was standing out in the rain, the sky dark with thick rain clouds.

Technically, Connor really wasn't supposed to be there. But while Amanda had commended him on the lead he got on the AX400, she'd also given him another situation to respond to shortly.

After dropping off Roxas at the station, at the time under Officer Miller's watch, Connor had spoken to Hank about Zlatko's residence. The Lieutenant's answer had been him stating he was going to get a drink and go home to rest. Well, based off what he'd learned the Lieutenant wasn't normally up so early as when their day had started. So, he supposed the Lieutenant was likely in need of the sleep.

But that left Connor alone. He wasn't supposed to be investigating without the Lieutenant. Which meant he really shouldn't be staking out Zlatko's home for movement. He really should've just stayed at the station or gone to CyberLife for diagnostic runs. His mission however was to figure out the mystery behind Deviants. This was a chance for the mission to come to a quick conclusion.

So far, he hadn't seen the Deviant AX400 or the little girl. It was possible they'd beaten him there and were already inside. That was dependent on the mode of transportation. If they had enough money, they could well have taken an automated taxi and have been at the house for hours. But without money, they would've had to take a public mode of transportation such as a bus or train. Neither of which had convenient routes that would take one directly to Zlatko's house.

Taking the bus would require several different buses as the routes varied. It would have taken at least three different buses. Still possible to have beaten him to the alleged Deviant refuge, but less likely due to potential unexpected occurrences that plagued public transportation and the likelihood of the Deviant taking more than three buses. If they had taken a train, then they wouldn't be there yet. The nearest train station was a long walk away.

Zlatko's home was on the outskirts of Detroit. One could see the lights of the city from the man's front gate.

Connor was across the street from the large home and on the other side of a wooden fence. To add to it all, it was raining much like it had been in the oasis with Amanda. Without the Lieutenant he'd had to take a cab to get to the probable next location of the AX400.

He could call a cab to his location and meet Hank at the scene where a man had been murdered in a club downtown.

If only the Lieutenant would pick up his phone. So, he started contacting officers who may be able to reach Hank. Officer Miller as it turns out was on the way to the same scene Connor was called to with Detective Reed. Others either didn't respond or were otherwise occupied. Meaning Connor would have to reach the Lieutenant himself.

The RK800 was just about to summon a taxi when he saw movement.

It was the AX400 and the little girl. He recognized both them and their clothes from when he'd pursued them to the highway. Sure enough, they went to Zlatko's gate and pulled it open, sliding onto the property.

There was no doubt that if the Lieutenant were present he'd curse. This new development left Connor in a difficult position. He couldn't abandon his pursuit of the Deviant he'd just witnessed. But at the same time there was the murder downtown that couldn't go completely ignored, it needed himself or Hank to at the very least be present.

Yet, there was no way to reach Hank. The man had pretty much thrown a phone at Roxas and left for his drink never to be heard from again.

Roxas.

Truth be told, it was against Connor's best judgement but possibly his only choice as well. The youth had come across as resourceful as well.

Looking to Zlatko's front door, he watched as the Deviant and the little girl were allowed in. It was a hasty decision to be sure but he was out of options if no one else would listen to an android like himself.

Hank had insisted Connor program the phone that was given to Roxas. Both the Lieutenant and himself had their numbers programmed in, and likewise the other way around.

So, Connor dialed Roxas using the communications signal many androids were equipped with.

* * *

Roxas had been considering his options. Connor and Hank had left him under the watch of an officer they appeared to be on friendly terms with. Now that officer had gone out on a call and he was left under the watch of an officer that seemed more interested in his coffee than in him. Getting away honestly wouldn't be difficult for the Nobody.

He just had to be careful.

One thing he'd noticed about Detroit was that he could be seen anywhere without knowing it. Cameras were a problem and they were everywhere. He had to be cautious. Magic in Detroit was far from under the radar so he couldn't open a dark corridor wherever.

Sure, magic wasn't common in some worlds but it wasn't unheard of. There was Genie in Agrabah, a fairy in Neverland and in Halloween Town, well there was a skeleton running the town. Detroit however, there'd been no magic. Technology far more advanced than any other world certainly.

So he had to find a place with some level of privacy…. Roxas was certain there was one place that was universal in all worlds with that in regard.

"Where's the bathroom?" The question was innocent enough that most wouldn't find it odd.

A cop with his coffee held close to his heart was no exception. "Down the hall." He gestured down past the breakroom. "Only door on the left."

With a nod Roxas stood up from his chair. Hesitating a moment before taking the device Hank had offered him before the police lieutenant left. A phone. The Lieutenant had been adamant about him taking it for some reason. Perhaps the same reason he decided to take the phone with?

Shaking his head, Roxas made his way to the bathroom, getting a few curious looks but most of the officers knew of his situation at this point. It seemed anything that occurred with Connor the detective android that may replace them all, they paid close attention. Whether the android knew it or not.

Upon reaching the bathroom, the only one apparently, his first move was to check for any other occupants. Which there was none. A good thing because even if he went in a stall, there was still the sound a dark corridor made. Surely a weird warping noise would raise questions after all.

Not wasting a moment, he made his escape, opening a corridor that took him to the abandoned house.

The consensus had been none of them would go back to the house. Including Ralph. That crazy android had agreed after Luxord suggested the police would potentially come back for him. At the moment however, Roxas didn't know where else to escape to.

Since they vacated the location, it quickly became apparent that others had been there after his talk with Connor. Everything appeared upturned and out of place. It seemed Luxord had been right about the police backtracking to Ralph.

As far as he could tell however, the place was very much vacant at the moment. Well, the signature flicker of silver meaning a dusk's presence aside. The lesser nobodies weren't a concern to him at the moment. It's not like he was giving up his mission and going rogue. Eventually, he'd see Luxord again he was sure. Until then however, just sorting out his thoughts about what happened was his main focus.

Luxord had acted oddly intense back on the roof, something that opposed his normal lackadaisical act. It wasn't like the older Nobody wanted to get back to the World That Never Was either. Ever since Xion's return, it seemed like no one wanted to stick around longer than needed. The castle had become a bit of a high tension area all around.

Then why had the other Nobody pushed for something so… something so beyond anything Roxas had done in the past? Beating lesser nobodies and Heartless were one thing. Heartless only brought harm. Nobodies were shells, especially the lesser branches like the dusks who could only take orders from Nobodies like Roxas and the rest of the Organization.

But androids seemed like they could hold hearts of their own. Ralph… was twitchy, annoying and not exactly on Roxas' good side. However as they learned a little about Ralph and androids in general, it seemed like the twitchy android was really just afraid of being hurt again. Something Roxas certainly couldn't blame him for.

For the blonde Nobody, Lexaeus was someone that he'd become uneasy around. The older Nobody had taught him a little about combat while injured. Injuries in question being inflicted by Lexaeus himself. Not long after Lexaeus went on a mission to Castle Oblivion with several other Organization members. All except one of them was eliminated on the mission. So, Roxas never did get a chance to get over that.

Going back though, while Ralph wasn't someone he could be friends with, destroying the crazy android wasn't much of an option either. The android had seemed truly afraid of people as far as Roxas could tell.

Rupert… Rupert just wanted to continue living. His willingness to push Hank off the roof was a bit much. When Roxas thought about it however, would he do any different?

He might not have a heart, but he did want to exist, to live.

A screeching sound startled the young Nobody out of his thoughts. Panic flared through him as he attempted to locate the source, only to freeze when he realized it was coming from the pocket of his jacket.

Taking a deep breath, Roxas took out the phone. Now that his nerves were settled he realized the sound was akin to the music from Hank's car. Looking at the screen, the caller was labeled "Plastic Man" leaving the Nobody to guess at who it was. Mostly likely Connor, as one of the men at the station had called the android "plastic prick" earlier.

Frowning, he wondered what the android wanted before realizing it was probably because he wasn't back at the station anymore. With some hesitation, he hit the answer button. "Hello?"

"Roxas? It's me, Connor." Came the familiar voice of the detective android.

"I figured." Mumbled the blonde, awkwardly holding the phone to his ear. Utilizing a skill he'd probably never need in any other world. The phone seemed s cumbersome, he wasn't sure that he understood why people of Detroit were so enamored with them.

"I need a favor." Not about him being missing?

Roxas took the phone from his ear for a second to check the time, realizing he hadn't been gone long. So the alarm probably hadn't been sounded about him yet. "Er… what could I do?"

"I need you to get Hank and tell him he's needed at the Eden Club."

"He left already." It wasn't a lie. After getting Roxas situated, Hank had gone off on his own saying he needed a drink.

"He's not answering." The android sounded troubled as he spoke. "I'll need you to ask your supervisor to go to Hank's. This is important to the Deviant investigation."

"Why can't you get him?" He frowned, trying to understand what the android was thinking. After all, why ask the strange kid that had possibly seen a murder? "Why ask me to do it?"

"I'm following another lead." Came a hasty reply from Connor. "Most of the office that I would trust with such a task aren't available at this time and the others would never help me."

Problem was, Roxas was probably going to be a fugitive or something in the next ten minutes when it became realized he wasn't in the bathroom. But a part of him did want to help Connor. Especially since he was more or less ditching both the android and the Lieutenant that had shown him nothing but goodwill. "Where does Hank live…?"

"I'll send you the address. Thank you, Roxas." With that the android disconnected the call.

"... Why did I agree to this?" Roxas asked himself as the phone gave an odd little jingle. Looking at the screen, he saw what he presumed to be Hank's address. Lot of help that would be.

* * *

He couldn't help but think of the repercussions he might incur for requesting aid from a teenager. However, once Connor had sent Hank's address to Roxas, there was no going back. No point in thinking of the repercussions until later. If things went badly, he could well get reset for the entirety of the night's actions. Simple. Also why he should push forward now that things beyond his control were in motion.

While speaking with Roxas, Connor had hopped the fence he'd been hiding behind for the last few hours and made his way through Zlatko's gate. Absently he noted that the property hadn't been landscaped for some time. Making the android consider why the man was going out of his way to buy second hand androids.

With the gate behind him, he spotted movement through one of the windows. Keeping low he stepped over the small wrought iron fences meant to steer people away from the yard. Soon, he was by the side of the bay window that the detective android found himself grateful for as it allowed him to stay out of the line of sight, as well as keep his LED out of view while his ear was pressed against the window.

By no means did he have super hearing, but it was more advanced than humans. His hearing probably even beat most other androids. It was good enough that he could make out the discussion.

"-on the street, he said you could help us..." That had to be the AX400 speaking.

"I see..." A man's voice, probably Zlatko speaking. But Connor couldn't rule out the possibility of it being one of the many androids the man should have. "Deviant, huh...?" Silence followed the question before the man spoke again. "What about her?"

The Deviant spoke too softly to for Connor to make out the words. Only hearing a soft mumble.

"And... You wanna find a safe place." It was Zlatko speaking again. "Somewhere you can start a new life. I hear Canada is very lovely this time of year. Beautiful landscapes, open spaces, clean air... and no android laws! Great place for a fresh start..."

Connor twitched slightly at that. He knew for a fact CyberLife had no reach in Canada, any Deviant that crossed that border was lost data for the investigation. If Zlatko was helping androids across that border, the RK800 would have no choice but to report back to CyberLife. Things would escalate to politics from there.

"Yes, that's... that's exactly what we want." Spoke the AX400, to it's credit sounding overwhelmed.

"Of course! I can help you. But first we have to get rid of your Tracker." That statement immediately alerted the eavesdropping android.

If the Tracker in any one Deviant worked, he wouldn't even be needed. Connor himself had been commissioned because the Tracker in an android turned Deviant stopped working every time. It's why the prototype detective model that he was had been sent into the world in early development.

Something was wrong. Zlatko was lying.

"Tracker?" Questioned the Deviant, by all rights confused. Whether she knew of the existence of a Tracker or not.

"Yeah, all androids are fitted with a tracking device to locate them at all times." Zlatko's words were true but he was leaving out the fact that the Tracker stopped working when the android turned Deviant. Even Connor had a Tracker of his own. "I'll remove yours and then you'll both be safe."

For once, Connor himself cursed. Maybe Hank was rubbing off on him. He only half listened as the man called Zlatko said they could take care of the Tracker immediately in the basement and encouraged the little girl to stay in the living room. Although the AX400 stubbornly refused to let the girl out of her sight.

He gave them a few minutes head start before trying to follow them. Surprisingly, the door was still unlocked from when the Deviant and little girl had entered the building.

Connor didn't give much thought into examining his surroundings. The moment he saw the staircase going down, he rushed down as quietly as he could. Trying to keep in mind he was technically a home invader now and had to go with caution.

The corridor of the basement appeared lined with stables. Like what one would keep a horse in. But structurally speaking, it made little sense in the basement. He made a note to check it out later if he got a chance.

Peering round the corner with caution, he could make out a bulky looking shape disappearing around the next bend. Going off the on file photo, Connor knew it wasn't Zlatko. An android perhaps?

Moving quietly further down the hall, he froze at the sound of Zlatko's voice. "I should warn you, this could be quite unpleasant..."

That statement was followed by the sound of machinery moving. A faint gasping sound, most likely from the Deviant.

"You know what's strange?" The man was speaking again. "For some unknown reason, the trackers seem to stop working in Deviants... That's why it's so hard to find them."

With the man being truthful, Connor had to conclude that the AX400 was being restrained.

"So, actually there's no reason to remove your tracker."

"What?" She-the AX400 sounded alarmed. "But you said that-"

"Yeah, people believe what they want. You Deviants are so naive. They all come to me, expecting me to help them. And I just reset them, sell them on."

Something Connor couldn't allow to happen with the Deviant. It had too much information for him to allow it to be reset. But he couldn't go charging in either.

Zlatko went on, mentioning something about experiments. The RK800 was too busy processing information to listen fully.

"No! No! I don't want to be reset! Let me go!" Cried out the Deviant in question.

"Kara!" A new, younger voice cried out. It had to be the little girl, Alice.

A laugh from Zlatko. "I forgot about the... the child! Um... lock it up, I'll deal with it later."

Connor's body temperature was regulated by his biocomponents. But he was pretty sure something malfunctioned for a second as his internal temperature dropped a few degrees. He seemed to be frozen in place for a moment when that statement should have had him scurrying to finding a place to hide. His LED's light elevating in color from blue and staying a solid yellow.

"ALICE! ALICE! NO!" Screeched the AX400 called Kara.

"Wow! A Deviant that wants to be a mother. That's... that's so sweet! And so deluded."

Forcing himself to move, Connor retraced his steps and paused when he was back around the corner. He had to hide.

Upstairs? But where? He didn't know the layout.

Taking in his surroundings, his eyes landed on the door to one of the underground stables. It could work.

Still, he hesitated. The sound of Zlatko's laughter down the hall seemed to echo. It was the sound of Alice calling out the Deviant's name that snapped Connor out of his hesitation and he moved to the stable door. Sliding the lock out and slipping in, maneuvering himself into the shadows just in time.

He could see Zlatko pulling Alice by the wrist down the hall and had to remind himself not to move. Fact was there was at the very least still the big figure he'd seen before. But it wasn't far behind Zlatko and Alice. As it passed by, Connor was able to identify it as a TR400 android. A model typically deployed to construction sites. It could be assumed the android was also a Deviant tricked by Zlatko at some point.

His thought process was interrupted by something grabbing at his shoulder. Whirling around he acted on a fight reflex, grabbing at the offending object. The LED in his temple escalating to yellow in his alarm. Focusing on his surroundings, there was a shock to his system.

Androids. Or at least, he was pretty sure they were.

They were far from looking like the androids that walked the streets in the city. The one that had grabbed at him was lacking the skin aesthetic on it's arm and not just the skin aesthetic but the white plastic covering was absent from the arm as well. Most of the android's synthetic skin was still in place aside from the arm, neck and it's midsection down to mid thigh. Like the arm, the white plastic covering was missing there as well.

Hastily letting go, Connor took a hesitant step back towards the door as he took in the other androids of the room. Each one horrifically reconfigured to an alarming degree.

There was a female build android that either had it's head backwards, or alterations had been made to the synthetic follicle generation. Because all that could be seen was hair despite the body facing him. There were deep slash-like gashes below the collarbone like it had been attacked by a beast. A slight turn of the head revealed an ear poking out through all the hair. Evidently the head might not be backwards, but he couldn't be certain after observing a few of the others.

Another was missing the plastic casing and a considerable about of build in the lower half of the body and on the arms. Leaving only the barely operational framework. The plastic casing of the torso remained and skin only seemed to remain on the head. He could make out wires coming from the head and draping over the android's shoulder.

"No... this isn't right." A voice seemed to hiss, Connor wasn't sure which android was speaking.

His eyes landed on an android in the moonlight. The components of it's head opened, only it's face looking to be in proper alignment. A central processor for the android looked to have been severely altered. Causing the back part of the head to look like it was barely handing on. It was hard to say if this one was still functioning.

An android lacking in the plastic casing stepped forward. The machinery every android should have clearly visible, even the thirium flow being made visible. Only plastic plating left was that which covered it's head, the synthetic skin present but the lines of the plating was still clearly visible. It looked to be missing eyes, the orange glow that normally came with an empty socket visible. But by the way it looked at Connor, it seemed to see him. Possibly the eyes had been placed before the sockets instead of in them?

"You... who are you?" The machine like android was the one speaking.

Despite his high processing speed, Connor found he didn't know a response to give the android. He didn't have a good chance of identifying any of them either. But he wouldn't be caught off guard if one of them was among the hundreds of android case files he'd gone over back at the precinct. Replaying Zlatko's words for a moment, he recalled the mentioning of experiments. "What is this?"

There was a pause from the machine-like android as though it were considering if it should trust Connor. "He likes to play with us... creating monsters for his amusement..."

Once again, Connor found his gaze flickering between the androids all in various states of disrepair. The one with it's head open started to move towards him. So it was still functioning by some horrid miracle.

"But who's the real monster?"

Looking at the state of each android, taking in those words. Were there more androids like this in the other stables? What about the rest of the house? He had to get to Kara, fast. Before the memory reset completed.

"... I'll be back." Connor stated after a moment of deliberation before running back to the room Kara had been left in.

The sight that greeted him was the Deviant suspended in the air by a machine much like the ones used for maintenance on androids at a CyberLife store. She was struggling, attempting to pull at the cords suspended just barely in reach. Looking to screen that stood near Kara as if to taunt her, the reset was at twenty seven percent.

"You...?" Despite Kara's notice of him, he paid no mind.

Focusing on getting the android free, he rushed to the computers and tapped into the system. First shutting down the reset, easy enough as he accessed the set up. Then he ordered the machine to release her immediately. For good measure, he directed the arms of the machine into itself. An oddly satisfying crunch of metal was heard as Kara stumbled away from the machine that had held her captive.

Looking towards Connor she looked a little lost. "What are you doing here?"

"I got a lead that you would be coming this way from a hacked Waste Management android. I've been staking out the residence." Came the simplified answer from the RK800. But he needed to justify what he was doing currently. "What was unexpected was to find a man guilty of violating the DMCA regulations with regards to making alterations to intellectual property. Particularly in accordance with the 2028 accord set in place distinctly prohibiting unofficial and unregulated alterations."

She gave him a blank look as if trying to understand what was going through his processors. In the next moment she became more alert. "Alice!"

Connor grabbed Kara by the shoulder before she could run. "I'll help you, I promise."

* * *

With some measure of difficulty, Roxas had found Hank's place of residence. He'd looked up the man's address on a map function he found on his phone. The map had been extraordinarily detailed, even depicting an oil spot on the Lieutenant's driveway. It was detailed enough that from the abandoned house he'd been able to make a dark corridor to the sidewalk by Hank's home with ease.

Low and behold, he recognized Hank's car immediately as it wasn't a box on wheels like most cars the Nobody had seen in this world. It was parked rather poorly in the driveway of a rather unkempt looking house… reminiscent of the owner Roxas supposed.

For the Nobody, his first move was to try the door only to find it locked. Considering his options, he decided to knock, no one answered the door however. There was a simple solution in the Nobody's case. He wielded a weapon that was said to be able to unlock anything after all. He knocked a second time but still no answer, not even the sound of movement.

Without further thought, Roxas summoned his Keyblade and tapped the tip of the weapon on the doorknob. There was a small glimmer of light and the click of a lock. This time when he tried the door it swung open without a fight.

Entering the home there was a distinct growling sound that made Roxas look around warily until his eyes landed on a brown and white behemoth of a dog. The dog approached slowly, sniffing in Roxas' direction and eyeing the Nobody. When the dog was before the youth, he gave a huff before seeming to focus on the object that had unlocked the door.

Again, the dog sniffed the Keyblade before seeming to sneeze. Tilting his head, the large dog gave a faint whining sound.

Blinking, the blonde hastily dismissed the Keyblade before holding his hand out to the dog. When the dog didn't react negatively, the blonde reached out to pet the dog. While doing so he hesitantly called out for the officer. "Hank?!"

Eyeing his surroundings, the place wasn't terribly cluttered. At least, it wasn't as bad as he had suspected it would be after seeing Hank's car so haphazardly parked. There were empty food containers, yes. But it was all mostly contained to the tables. The TV was still on, depicting what Roxas could identify as basketball.

His gaze drifting to the kitchen he could see Hank passed out on the floor. With a frown he approached and soon an unpleasant smell reached the Nobody. A bottle of whatever Hank had been drinking was in the unconscious man's hand. Not far away was what Roxas recognized as a gun.

With a frown, Roxas crouched next to Hank and poked him in the cheek. Whatever state the man was in, he was out like a light. Now what?

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he could hear the vague rattle of some vials. The potions. But it wasn't just potions in there.

Reaching into his jacket he pulled out a vial with an amber liquid inside. A panacea. It was a medicine that could cure ailments from poison to sleep. Maybe it could help the unconscious Lieutenant. Still, he wasn't too sure about giving up a panacea vial like this.

Gazing at Hank however and enduring the stench that resembled a dying fish however, the Nobody made up his mind. Uncorking the vial, he opened Hank's mouth open with one hand and prayed the man didn't choke too much. He the proceeded to dump the vial's contents.

The reaction was immediate at least. Hank's body jarred upwards and and starting cursing as he sputtered. "What the hell!?"

Hank continued coughing to clear his throat for about a minute. During this time the dog came up and starting licking the Lieutenant's face. It was kind of amusing to the Nobody who couldn't help but scratch the dog on the head.

"Easy now Sumo! C'mon, I'm awake alright?!" His throat moderately better, the Lieutenant finally realized there was someone else present. "Kid? When did you get here?" Hank looked around as if expecting to see someone else, hastily putting the bottle he'd had while unconscious behind him. "Better yet, why are you here?"

"Connor sent me, I guess you're needed at some place called the Eden Club?" Roxas offered an uncertain shrug as he recalled the phone conversation.

At that Hank frowned and rubbed his forehead. "Where is that plastic prick anyways?"

"Said he was following another lead."

"Another lead...?" For a moment the Lieutenant pondered the new information before cursing again. "Dammit, should've known he'd go off on his own... Alright, what's this place he wanted me to go to again?"

"Eden Club." Roxas answered, and almost immediately the Lieutenant clammed up and stared at the Nobody as if he'd just proven he was a ghost. "What?"

"... Nothing..." With a groan, Hank forced himself to his feet. There was an odd look on his face. "What kinda hangover cure did you pour down my throat?"

"What's a hangover?" It wasn't that Roxas had never heard of a hangover from the likes of Organization members like Xigbar. But he'd never actually gotten an answer on what the term meant.

"... You know what, never mind... uh... wait here. I guess I better get ready to go." Shuffling out of the kitchen and down the hall, the Lieutenant disappeared into one of the rooms. "By the way, how'd you get in here anyways?"

Probably wasn't a good idea to mention the Keyblade. "Door was unlocked."

"Doesn't sound right..." Came the disbelieving retort from the Lieutenant.

* * *

In a shipping yard with many large shipping containers to match there were drones and workers milling about everywhere despite the rain. The drones in particular were searching for intruders. Non-employees, unregistered worker androids. Trespassers in other words, but they either weren't working to full capacity or they weren't quite as high-end as the owners would have you believe.

This was because for figures were running about the yard and jumping the containers. But they weren't the only ones.

Luxord stood atop an automated crane and he was back in the long black Organization coat. His hood drawn up to shield him from the rain. He was watching those four figures with something akin to amusement.

Another deck of cards were being shuffled in his hands, only it wasn't in the same manner that those of Detroit would recognize. The cards were reminiscent of a domino to some extent with four dots, each separated by a single black cross. That cross seeming to form the unusual shape of this particular deck. From the top the card backs were yellow but going down it darkened into orange.

The reason his shuffling was so different was that the cards were glowing faintly and practically flying around him as they left his hands. "Well then, let's see how far these little Deviants will go."

* * *

 **What are we going to do with these people? So much breaking and entering going on here... and much chaos to soon unfold I suppose.**

 **Apologies for taking an extra week on this one. Went on vacation and had a little trouble getting back into action. Especially since the scheduling computer at work seems to hate my guts. Double apologies if any of the words came out a bit... disjointed. Haven't had a chance to look things over fully. I'll be coming through with an edited version as I see necessary.**

* * *

 **Review Responses:**

 **richboylion: We'll have to see where all this suspicion take him though.**

 **SergeantLesbian: Well, I'm not sure Hank will have the pleasure of meeting Zlatko here. I think Connor's getting that fun for himself. As for Roxas... well, we can already see how well police custody worked.**

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 **Any form of feedback I'll be grateful for in any form.**


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